STAR Test Results Released, But Locals Say They Lack Context

California Department of Education officials released STAR test results on Friday, amid pronouncements of improvement statewide.

However, officials with Healdsburg Unified School District say the new scores include no comparison data from last year, so "there's no way to know if it's good or bad news," said Jeff Harding, HUSD Superintendent.

"I prefer to wait until the next round of data in October, when they crunch the numbers,"  Harding said. "That way, we'll have some idea of where to focus our attention."

Click here to see a summary page of all HUSD scores

On Friday, State Superintendent Tom Torlakson sent out a glowing statement, touting how statewide scores in math and English-language arts have risen for the ninth year in a row.

“In less than a decade, California has gone from having only one student in three score proficient, to better than one student in two,” Torlakson said. “That’s nearly 900,000 more students reaching proficiency now than in 2003 -- a remarkable achievement that represents real, sustained improvements in learning.”

Click here to see all STAR scores by school, district or grade

 STAR, which stands for Standardized Testing and Reporting, consists of four tests developed specifically to assess student knowledge of California content standards, outlining what all children should know at each grade level.

In Healdsburg, the tests were administered in April.

Harding, meanwhile, said it could be misleading to look at current data and draw conclusions without any comparisons from last year.

For example, under the HUSD 11th grade geometry test scores, 55 percent of the 38 students who took the test scored "below basic."

But Harding said the better skilled math students would have taken geometry in either the ninth or 10th grades -- meaning the ones who wait until 11th grade are generally those who are less skilled in math.

"The more skilled math students are the ones taking the algebra test in 11th grade," he said.

Therefore, the 55 percent "below basic" number may be normal for that group -- or it could even be an improvement over the prior year, Harding said.

"It's hard to boil down any conclusions without seeing the comparison," he said.

STAR's four tests include: the California Standards Test; California Modified Assessment; California Alternate Performance Assessment; and Standards-based Tests in Spanish.

But changes are in store for California schools as they shift to Common Core Standards by 2015.

The new, $330 million assessment system will include both multiple choice questions as well as essays and give teachers more freedom in the classroom instead of simply teaching to the test.

After all, the overall goal remains the same: to make sure students not only show improvement from year to year but are actually prepared for college or work when they graduate.

What do you think of the STAR results? Are you concerned? Or should federally required standardized tests be eliminated altogether?

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